TTU’s Morton injures left shoulder; X-rays unclear

Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton sustained a left shoulder injury in Saturday’s 35-34 loss to TCU and did not play in the second half.

Morton appeared to injure his non-throwing shoulder in the second quarter. He was in street clothes on the sideline for the second half with his left arm in a sling.

Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said he was unsure what Morton injured after initial X-rays taken at the stadium were inconclusive.

“He was really sore, and so we felt like we could not put him in at that point,” McGuire said. “So I don’t know exactly what it is. It’s not something that is major, but there is something there. It’s not his AC [joint]. We feel like it’s his collarbone, but we cannot see exactly.”

The redshirt junior ranked fourth in the Big 12 in passing yards entering Saturday with 1,926 yards, 18 total touchdowns and 3 interceptions for the Red Raiders (5-2). Morton threw for 137 yards on 13-of-22 passing in the first half against TCU and his team took a 17-14 lead into halftime.

True freshman backup Will Hammond replaced Morton to start the second half and led touchdown drives on each of his first two possessions to put the Red Raiders ahead 31-14 midway through the third quarter.

TCU (5-3) rallied back with a 21-3 scoring run and took the lead with five minutes left on Josh Hoover’s 84-yard touchdown pass to Eric McAlister. Hammond responded by driving to the Horned Frogs’ 27-yard line to get in position for a go-ahead field goal, but his fumble on a third-down rushing attempt was recovered by TCU.

Hammond finished 10-of-15 passing for 121 yards and a touchdown in his second career game. The former four-star recruit also scored on a 4-yard run.

After a 3-3 start, the Horned Frogs have bounced back with close victories over Utah and Texas Tech, and are one win away from bowl eligibility after a 5-7 season in 2023.